MQ-9 Reaper:
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claims it shot down a US MQ-9 Reaper drone over Qeshm Island in southern Iran using an advanced air defence system recently.
- The MQ-9 Reaper (Reaper MQ-9A) is an armed, multi-mission, medium-altitude, long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).
- It is developed by the American company General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (a United States-based aerospace and defence company), primarily for the United States Air Force (USAF).
- It is an upgraded version of the MQ-1 Predator and was first deployed in Afghanistan in October 2007.
- It is used for strategic and operational reconnaissance, battlefield surveillance, and can directly engage targets.
- It has a wingspan of 66 feet (20 meters) and endurance of more than 27 hours.
- It is equipped with a fault-tolerant flight control system and triple redundant avionics system architecture
- It is powered by a turboprop engine, integrated with Digital Electronic Engine Control (DEEC), which significantly improves engine performance and fuel efficiency, particularly at low altitudes.
- It cruises at roughly 322 to 370 kilometers per hour and can fly at altitudes up to 50,000 feet (15,240 meters), giving it reach across wide areas of operation.
- It can be armed with air-to-ground Hellfire missiles as well as laser-guided bombs.
- It is remotely operated by a two-person team consisting of a pilot and an aircrew member who operates sensors and guides weapons.
